VETERINARY NOTES

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 71, Issue 4, 15 October 1945, Page 403

VETERINARY NOTES

Some Commoner Lamb Ailments

SOME of the ailments to which lambs are prone, and the effects of which are reflected in the lambing percentages each year, are discussed below, and preventive and control measures suggested:—■ Pulpy Kidney Disease Lambs suffering from pulpy kidney disease are usually found dead at from one to eight weeks. Usually the internal organs appear normal when the carcasses are opened up, as the organisms present in the small intestine produce a virulent toxin or poison that causes death before visible pathological changes can take place. The disease usually occurs when the food supply is better after than before lambing, and additional cases may occur after a change of paddock or feed. Those lambs that do not die immediately may scour, or suffer from alternating attacks of constipation and diarrhoea. Good feeding of the ewes during pregnancy is therefore indicated, and the disease can now be controlled by the use of enterotoxaemia vaccine. Scabby Mouth Young lambs are particularly affected by scabby mouth, also known as contagious ecthyma. An efficient vaccine can be obtained from the Animal Research Station at Wallaceville. It is easily applied, and in flocks where the disease is prevalent it can be used at marking time, thus avoiding extra handling. Animals already suffering from the disease can be treated by removing loose scabs with a brush dipped in a solution of permanganate crystals and then applying a dressing of one part tincture of iodine in two parts of glycerine. This dries the affected area and the scabs fall away, leaving clean, pink, healthy skin. Arthritis

Arthritis is caused by an organism known as Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, which also causes a disease in pigs. Stiffness is the first sign of infection, and this is noticed when the lambs are first moved. Stiffness has occurred in lambs both before and after docking. Hopkirk observed in 1936 that the joints mainly affected were the hip joints and the bursae above the knees. The hock and stiflle joints were affected less often. Antiseptic precautions, however, should be taken when lambs are docked and castrated.

Docking In connection with the docking of lambs it has been shown in Australia that healing occurs in the same period of time whether the knife severs the tail at a joint or goes through one of the bones. The retention of a flap of skin is advantageous. Healing takes longer if the tail is cut close to the body; the younger the animal the quicker the healing. Losses will be avoided if a fresh site for carrying out docking is selected each year. An area in the corner of a paddock can be enclosed by means of hurdles and wire netting. Instruments should be boiled and the operator’s hands should be clean. The lamb should be immediately returned to the paddock and placed upon its feet to avoid infection from the soil. Dipping It is safe to dip lambs 10 weeks old or over, and on occasions dipping so early is quite justifiable, as they may be infested by ticks and lice from the ewes. Unweaned lambs should not be dipped. The lambs, of course, are put through the dip after the adult animals, when the wash can be diluted to the requisite strength. Mastitis in Ewes Mastitis in sheep, as in cattle, may be caused by various germs, but the chief microbe responsible is Staphylococcus aureus, which usually gains entrance to the udder tissues via the teat canal, as a result of cold wet weather or minor injuries. As a rule only a few ewes in a flock are affected, and many sheep owners are unacquainted with the disease. Their attention may be called to it by the presence of a dead lamb, and in many cases the ewe recovers spontaneously,

owing to the sloughing of the affected parts of the udder. Mastitis generally occurs a few days to a few weeks after lambing, and the affected parts of the udder become cold and dark red or black in colour. In many cases a bloodstained fluid may be drawn from the teat, and death may occur during the early stages. The usual practice is to amputate the teat or teats and to incise the affected parts of the udder in order to drain the gland. Medicinal agents, including sulphanilamide, have so far proved useless. —R. E. ALEXANDER, M.R.C.V.S., Veterinarian, Gisborne. Rearing Orphan Lambs THE rearing of orphan lambs is 1 rather a laborious process, and is best performed by some kindly and patient feminine member of the household. Sheep farmers themselves usually regard these lambs, even when progressing .favourably, as a distinct trial. The essential' point is that feeding bottles must be sterile and the temperature of the contents round about body heat. The rubber teat should grip the bottle firmly, as overenthusiastic lambs are apt to swallow the teat if it is loose. This does not appear to affect them in any way, but the constant replacing of teats can be very inconvenient. A teaspoonful of castor oil can be given at the start in order to promote the action of the bowels and clear them of mucus. If later on the lambs show symptoms of scouring, it is an indication that there is something wrong with the feeding methods.

Ewe’s milk is richer in fat and solids than cow’s milk, so feeding should be commenced with undiluted whole cow’s milk. A little cream can be added, and in about a month’s time a little skim-milk can be incorporated. Feed three or four pints daily, dividing it into six feeds. In six weeks’ time a little oatmeal gruel

can be added to one feed. At eight weeks a small amount of crushed oats, -bran, and meatmeal can be fed dry or in the form of porridge. Drinking water should always be available and a bundle of hay should be tied to the fence for the lambs to pick at. Sometimes skim-milk causes indigestion, in which case it should be omitted. If lambs can be taught ■ to drink from a dish it saves much labour. Where there are a large number of orphan lambs some sheep owners have contrived multiple-feeding devices, in which the lambs enter miniature cow bails. These arrangements, . however, are best left to the patience and ingenuity of the individual farmer. —R. E. ALEXANDER, M.R.C.V.S., Veterinarian, Gisborne. Answers to Correspondents Pigs With Necrotic Ulcers “F.A.L. Hokitika:— I have two pigs with very bad sores about the size of a half-crown, also some smaller ones, around the neck. The pigs go off their milk practically altogether. These two I have been treating with raw safonia and then putting on sulpha and vaseline mixed, and they seem to be improving a little. I had this trouble last season and lost about six pigs. I have since limed heavily. The sores are very smelly. Can you give me a remedy for this trouble? Also is there any cure for a pig that seems drunk and staggers about? LIVESTOCK DIVISION:— . These sores are known as necrotic ulcers, and are caused by a specific type of organism. Liming is useful as a preventive, but if the trouble' becomes too prevalent, it may be advisable to 1 change the pigs and sties to a clean piece of ground. If you are able to obtain a small supply of tartar

emetic from your chemist, you. will find the treatment and cure of the sores an easy matter. Tartar emetic is a very poisonous powder and requires to be handled carefully, so that there is no risk of any of it getting near the pig’s mouth or into the trough. ' The sores require to be scrubbed. with a brush, so as to 'remove as much crust, scab, and dead material as possible. The powder should be lightly dusted over each sore. Usually only one treatment is necessary in the case of small sores, but a second application is necessary in the larger cases. Sulphur ointment will not cure the sores, and the sooner the tartar emetic is applied the less will be the danger of spread to other pigs. ■ - The pig' described as being staggery and stupid may be > affected ' with middle-ear disease, i.e., the presence of a small abscess in the ear. Although some of these cases are difficult to cure and require to be given fairly large doses of codliver oil daily, over a period,' the disease is preventable by allowing all young, growing pigs access to, green leafy pasture, to ensure the supply of vitamins necessary for healthy growth and development. The addition of a small daily allowance of codliver oil to the younger pigs will assist in replacing the fat soluble vitamin removed in the cream from whole milk.

Boils Under Mare's Saddle Takapau: — I recently bought. a 6-year hack mare, which seems prone to get small boils under the rear end of the saddle if she has much work. I shall be glad to know if there is any treatment that would be of use in preventing them. LIVESTOCK DIVISION: The complaint is probably due to a local skin infection.- I should suggest washing the. saddle area over thoroughly, making sure the skin is wetted, with a solution of non-irritat-ing antiseptic. The pads of the saddle should be brushed clean and wiped over, with the same solution and allowed to . dry. The state of pads should be considered, ensuring that they are smooth and firm with no projecting edge which might contact the skin when the weight is on. The ordinary white lotion made with i ounce zinc sulphate and 1 ounce lead acetate in 1 quart of water (kept in a bottle which should be marked poison) can be sponged over the saddle area after each occasion ' on which the horse is used, the antiseptic wash being applied only about once a week.